The present invention relates to a natural cell control carrier, more specifically to a natural cell control carrier comprising water-soluble chitosan (HFP) and elecampane (Inula Helenium L.) extract, which solves problems of conventional synthesized antibacterial agents and provides various superior properties, improved antibacterial effect and anti-inflammatory effect with a broad antibacterial spectrum, so that it can be used for food, cosmetics and medicine.
Generally, microorganisms that contaminate food, cosmetics and medicine may be classified into bacteria and fungi. Bacteria can be classified into Gram-positive bacteria and Gram-negative bacteria; and fungi can be classified into yeast and mold. These microorganisms are known to flourish in wet environments. Especially, microorganisms flourish in environments with high water activity (Aw) like cosmetics. If microorganisms flourish in food and cosmetics, gas may be generated due to the decomposition of carbohydrates; the food and cosmetics may become rancid due to the generation of fatty acid or ketone residue from oil and fat compounds; and stench may be generated due to the decomposition of proteins. Antibacterial agents are used to prevent from deterioration of products like cosmetics caused by the contamination and multiplication of microorganisms. The common antibacterial agents used in food, cosmetics and medicine are methyl p-hydroxybenzoate, propyl p-hydroxybenzoate, imidazolinyl urea, citric acid, propylene glycol and phenoxyethanol. These antibacterial agents may be mixed each other in an appropriate content or other substances reinforcing the antibacterial system are arbitrarily incorporated to provide better antibacterial activity.
However, synthesized antibacterial agents have the problems such as increased tolerance, side effect, toxicity, carcinogenicity and the generation of unidentified substances. Therefore, restriction of items and limitation of usage about synthesized antibacterial agents are becoming strict and the purchasing power is declining due to the restriction of consumption and decline of warning attractiveness toward customers. Also, a small amount of synthesized antibacterial agent used in medicine, food and cosmetics may cause skin-related side effects like contact dermatitis or allergy, due to irritation and toxicity to skin.
Accordingly, the antibacterial agent used in medicine, food and cosmetics should have antibacterial activity but low irritation to skin and no toxicity and tolerance. The present invention relates to a natural cell control carrier that satisfies this requirement, which comprises water-soluble chitosan (HFP) and elecampane extract (Inula Helenium L.).
Although the antibacterial activity of chitosan is widely known, its mechanism is hardly understood. It is only presumed that the positive charge in the amine group of chitosan and the negative charge in the cell wall of the microorganism interact to prevent the growth of the microorganism. The inventors have verified the superior cell activity, like strong NO-generation function of cell, prevention against genetic mutation, prevention against chromosomal mutation, cell regeneration competence and cell regulation property, stability and nontoxicity of water-soluble chitosan (HFP) [International Journal of Immunopharmacology, 22. 2000, 923-933; U.S. Pat. No. 5,730,876]. The experiments performed by the inventors and others show that said water-soluble chitosan (HFP) has a strong antibacterial activity against bacteria and yeast, but no or decreased antibacterial activity against mold.
The inventors have studied to develop a natural cell control carrier with superior properties and broad antibacterial spectrum using water-soluble chitosan (HFP) in antibacterial agent. The inventors realized that if water-soluble chitosan (HFP) is used together with elecampane extract (Inula Helenium L.), it provides superior antibacterial activity against mold as well as bacteria and yeast and an anti-inflammatory effect. Therefore, a new natural cell control carrier was developed. The test result showed that the natural cell control carrier obtained by combining water-soluble chitosan (HFP) and elecampane extract (Inula Helenium L.) provides excellent antibacterial activity against bacteria, yeast and mold, 30%-60% lower of skin irritation evaluated by patch test than that of synthesized antiseptic and superior anti-inflammatory effect.
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a natural cell control carrier with broad antibacterial spectrum and anti-inflammatory effect and with little irritation to skin.
The present invention is characterized by a natural cell control carrier comprising water-soluble chitosan (HFP) and elecampane extract (Inula Helenium L.).
The present invention includes an antibacterial agent that contains a natural cell control carrier comprising water-soluble chitosan (HFP) and elecampane extract (Inula Helenium L.).
The present invention also includes an anti-inflammatory agent that contains a natural cell control carrier comprising water-soluble chitosan (HFP) and elecampane (Inula Helenium L.) extract as well.
Hereunder is given a more detailed description of the present invention.
The antibacterial mechanism of the natural cell control carrier according to the present invention originates from the positive (+) charge of the constituents in the water-containing system (phase). Teichoic acid, a constituent of bacteria""s cell wall, regulates the expansion of the cell wall and has a negative charge. Therefore the surface of the cell wall carries a negative (xe2x88x92) charge because of teichoic acid. Accordingly the natural cell control carrier of the present invention, which carries a positive (+) charge, forms a strong ionic bond to the bacteria""s cell wall with a negative (xe2x88x92) charge, and strongly prevents the activity of bacteria and their growth. The bacteria are severely damaged by the strong ionic bond and transfer of drug and lose their activity rapidly.
The natural cell control carrier of the present invention provides an effective anti-inflammatory effect as well as said antibacterial activity. Inflammation is the reaction of a living tissue against damage. Inflammation is a defensive mechanism to return to the normal state by localizing the damage when a biologic tissue is damaged due to some reason. Reactions of blood vessel, nerve, body fluid and cell are related with inflammation. For the causes of inflammation, there are biological cause (bacteria), physical cause (injury), chemical cause (endogenous or exogenous chemical substances) and immunological cause. The inflammation reactions are characterized by the change in blood vessel, exudation of liquid and leukocyte invasion, and their typical symptoms are flare, swelling, fever and pain. The natural cell control carrier of the present invention is particularly superior in the restoration of leukocyte invasion.
Hereunder is given a specific description about the constitution of the natural cell control carrier of the present invention.
The water-soluble chitosan having a molecular weight of from 100,000 to 300,000 used in the present invention has been prepared based on the method disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,730,876. Based upon its water-soluble characteristic the prepared chitosan is bound to immunoprotein, so that it recognizes cell and amino acid as a cell controller modular and the tRNA stimulates the cell to generate an indirect effect. This water-soluble chitosan (HFP) has superior cell activity, such as activating NO-generation in the cell and preventing of genetic mutation, cell regeneration competence and cell regulation property, superior stability and proven nontoxicity [HFP(trademark), Ja Kwang""s product; International Journal of Immunopharmacology 22. 2000, 923-933].
Another constituent of the natural cell control carrier of the present invention is elecampane extract. Although the effective constituent of elecampane (Inula Helenium L.) is not known yet, its essential oil is widely used in food and medicine because it has antiseptic effect, anti-inflammatory effect and vermicidal effect. In the rhizome and root of elecampane (Inula Helenium L.), there is 1-5% of essential oil. The crystal of this essential oil is called xe2x80x98heleninxe2x80x99, which is a mixture of selinane-type sesqiterpene lactone. The main components of this mixture are alantolactone (C15H20O2), isoalantolactone (C15H20O2), dihydroalantolactone (C15H22O2), alantolic acid, etc. Besides helenin, damiladienyl acetate (C32H52O2), a triterpene alcohol, a small amount of alantol (C15H23O2) and proazulene are included in the essential oil. The root contains inulin (up to 44%), pseudoinulin, inulenin, saponin, bitterly tasting materials, pigments and a trace of alkaloid.
In the present invention, elecampane extract obtained from the following extraction process is used as an effective constituent. After slicing the root of elecampane (Inula Helenium L.) and precipitating it in 50-80% ethanol for 3-10 days, it is filtered firstly. After maturating the residue solution for 3-7 days at low temperature (xe2x88x924xc2x0 C.), the undissolved residue is precipitated and filtered secondly. This filtered elecampane extract solution is dried in a rotary evaporator and a freeze dryer to obtain solid elecampane extract.
After re-freeze-drying a solution comprising said soluble chitosan (HEP) and elecampane extract (Inula Helenium L.), a physical induction process using biological separation method like dialysis is performed to obtain the natural cell control carrier of the present invention.
The composition of water-soluble chitosan (HFP) and elecampane extract (Inula Helenium L.) comprising the natural cell control carrier of the present invention is determined base on each minimum inhibition concentration (MIC) result.
The natural cell control carrier of the present invention comprises 0.01-99.99 wt % of water-soluble chitosan (HFP) and 0.01-99.99 wt % of elecampane extract, preferably 50.00-90.00 wt % of water-soluble chitosan (HFP) and 10.00-50.00 wt % of elecampane extract. Differently, a natural antibacterial agent may be dissolved in pure water to 1-30% (w/v) concentration and freeze-dried again in order to commercialize the natural cell control carrier according to the present invention. As can be seen in the above table, though each of chitosan (HFP) and elecampane extract has antibacterial effect of its own, the natural cell control carrier with specific composition has increased antibacterial effect due to the continuity, transferability and interdependence of chitosan (HFP). The effect is maximized at critical range by complementing each other.
The antibacterial activity test result of the natural cell control carrier of the present invention showed very superior antibacterial effect against bacteria, yeast and mold. Also, it showed 30%-60% lower skin irritation than conventional synthesized antibacterial agent, and superior anti-inflammatory effect.
Hereunder is given a more detailed description of the present invention using examples. However, it should not be construed as limiting the scope of the present invention.